Analysis of the film Blackpool

How is the representation of age, family and relationships shown through the use of camera, mise en scene, editing and sound in this clip from Blackpool?

Throughout the opening of the piece I identified a number of techniques which the director used to portray the use of representation of age, family and relationships. I focused on the mise en scene, camera, editing and sound of the film. This essay will go on to examine these in more detail.

At the beginning of the film we see a crane shot of a man and a woman sitting on a sofa. This rising shot introduces the characters to the audience. The shots between the husband and wife include long shots and wide shots. The relationship between these two characters is shown through the colour of their costume as they are both wearing bright pink coloured clothing. This suggests they are old fashioned and not very modern. The fact they are both wearing pink connotes that they are colour co ordinated. These characters are dressed younger than their age.

The scenery of the living room is very symmetrical. For example, the fruit bowl infront of them on the table and the stack of wine bottles behind them on the shelves. This symmetry shows that they are very orderly and precise with their positioning of things. Everything in the living is white and gold, this suggests that the couple are rich and opulent. Their house is very smart, clean and tidy, this also implies that they are very wealthy and take good care in the appearance of their house. It communicates they are upper class and are quite fancy.

Another two characters appear in the house, the daughter and her boyfriend. They are wearing more modern clothing. The way they are dressed makes the two characters look older than they are. For example, the daughter is wearing a cream coloured suit, this makes her look very classy and sophisticated. However, the boyfriend is dressed in jeans. This demonstrates that he is not trying to impress his girlfriends parents in any way. He looks more relaxed in what he is wearing. The boyfriend dresses younger to make him and his girlfriend look like a couple as he looks a lot older than her. They are both wearing dull and ordinary colours in contrast with the parents. It is almost as if the parents and the younger couple have switched roles.

When the daughter introduces her boyfriend to her parents, the noise of a bell is suddenly heard. This is to fill in the awkwardness. It also shows how unstable the situation is. When the father sees his daughters boyfriend, the audience can hear his reaction inside. You hear his anger building up as he realises the age difference between them.

The scene then changes to the four of them sitting around a table, they are directly opposite eachother. The parents go on to questionning the boyfriend. The father talks the loudest and his voice is very firm and blunt. This shows that he has authority and power over the conversation. He speaks his kind and tries to make the boyfriend feel awkward. On the other hand, the mother has a much more calmer voice and she is more laid back. They seem very protective over her and worried about her choices for a boyfriend. The colour of the room is very bright as the sun beams through the windows that they are in. This is contrasted with the atmosphere in the room. There are a number of close ups of each character during this conversation. They show the characters identity.

The mother and father are not always close compared to the daughter and her boyfriend. The boyfriend sits with his arm around her, this shows they are connected with eachother.  They seem the more romantic couple out of the two. The boyfriend is very relaxed as he sits back with his legs crossed.The daughter is very defensive over her boyfriend as she always answers her father back first before he can answer the question. This shows she has strong feelings for him. However, when the boyfriend does answer he comes across as cocky and sarcastic. He seems full of himself and answers in a jokey like way. The way he responds shows that he is immature for his age and he is acting younger than he is.

The daughter is the one who decides it is time for the couple to leave. She chooses to leave before things get out of hand. As everyone stands up, the audience can see that the boyfriend reaches out to shake the fathers hand. However, the father ignores this hand gesture and puts his hands in his pocket. This non verbal language suggests the father is stubborn and rude as the boyfriend is trying to be polite and respectful.

The scene then changes to the parents bedroom which is highly decorated. This is a contradiction with what they were wearing. In the bedroom the mother defends her daughter, this suggests she just wants her daughter to be happy and wants what is right for her. The father does not contradict his wife in the scene, this implies in relationships women normally get the last say in things. As he gets into bed he makes loud huffing noises. This communicates that he is tired and of a middle age. Movements between sheets is the final diegetic sound that is heard. This shows a close relationship between two people as they are getting close to one another. It also shows the relationship between the husband and the bed as he is getting comfortable to sleep.

Analysis of Primeval

How is gender represented through camera, sound, mise en scene and editing in the clip from Primeval?

Our group focused on the Non verbal language of the film. We looked at the characters costume, gestures and body language to give us an idea about their personality.

In the beginning frame we see a mans hand on a womans back, this shows the audience that the man is in control and has authority over her. However, it could also show that he is comforting her as when people are upset the other person tends to rub their back to show they care. On the other hand, it could suggest that he is leading her to somewhere. The gesture implies they have a relationship with one another because of this physical contact.

Another woman is then introduced, she has blonde short hair and is driving a tractor. The fact she is driving a tractor communicates to the audience that she is unfeminine as this is normally seen as a mans job. She uses this machinery to help the man (from the beginning) from being attacked by a cheetah. The woman tries to distract the animal and scare it off by driving towards it. This communicates that she is a hero's helper.

A third frame was of a man low on the ground, placing a piece of meat in to the bushes/grass. He placed it carefully and delicately which is unusual for a man to do. The fact that he is putting it there in such a gentle way could show that he is doing it secretly as if he has something to hide. However, it could imply that he is a bit feminine and has a soft touch.

We then see the blonde woman again from the beginning walking with three men. From this we can see that she is wearing a black leather jacket, which looks like a biker jacket. This communicates that she is butch and comes across as a tom boy. The fact that she is with a group of men and is the only girl also suggests that she is a tom boy.

The gender roles then swop, this is seen through props, body language and costume. In the beginning the blonde woman was a hero's helper, but as the film goes on the man from the beginning becomes the hero. A smartly dressed woman gets captured by a rough looking fat man. Her cream jacket is very sophisticated and looks expensive, this implies that she is upper class and wealthy. The woman is dressed very different to the other characters, this shows she is feminine and cares about her appearance. The man who captured her grabs her arm and throws her to the ground with force. This connotes that he has control and has power over her. At this part of the film we get an idea that he is the antagonist as he is acting like a bully using his aggression to hurt a woman. The man is also holding a gun towards the woman, this suggests he is violent.

The camera is mostly focused on the man from the beginning. It follows him and his every move.This suggests that he is the protagonist aswell as the hero. The man is a stereotypical looking hero as he has a strong, masculine physique.

9 Frame Analysis

The man in this scene looks isolated as he is sitting in the corner of an empty room at a desk. The room is very plain and the colours are very dull. There is nothing else and no one else in the room which makes it seem mysterious. He looks as if he is getting on with some sort of work. This could suggest he is a business man, but the background leaves you wondering as to where he is and why he is there. The fact he is getting on with the work suggests that he is a hard worker, clever and educated. He seems like he is hiding away from the outside world, almost as if it is secret. The fact he is on his own in a room like this means that he likes to work in a quiet place in peace without any noise or distractions.


In this image, you get a clearer view of the characters body language, costume and movement as it is an extreme long shot. The man is dressed in a navy blue suit, this suggests he is smart and could be from an upper class background. The colour of his suit matches part of the colour of the wall. This shows that they could have something in common with one another. The suit also makes you think that he is a businessman. He is holding a flask in his hand which implies he might be going to re fill it or the fact he is leaving his desk suggest he is going for a break.

 In this picture the character is exiting some sort of garage. This is a deserted place and it seems as if he had locked himself away from the outside world. It looks very dark outside, so it could be late evening or early in the morning. The scene has changed from a lighted room to a dark garage type place. Once he opens the shutter door, we get an idea of where his "work" is situated. The place seems to be in the middle of no where. This leaves the audience wondering what is he doing in a place like this for a job if he is smartly dressed.

As he exits the garage he looks into the distance. This communicates he is waiting for someone or something to happen. The image is a deep shot and it allows the audience to see what is in the surroundings of where he is. There are a number of cars parked in line with each other, which shows it is a car park. The character has his back to us this leaves us questioning what his facial expressions look like. He is standing still and upright, this suggests he is patiently waiting. The image is a medium close up and no one is seen in the image but him. The place seems very quiet and desolate, this could put the audience on edge.

In the distance of this image you can see the headlights of several cars. The scene is very dark which leaves the audience focusing on these cars. The pink bits in the sky demonstrate that it is early in the morning. The cars become closer and closer to the camera and this attracts the audiences attention and makes them question what is going to happen next. The car on the right appears to be travelling faster than the other cars. This symbolises that something bad might happen to it.

The person driving the car does not seem to of seen the parked car on the left hand side of it. The driver loses control as he crashes into it. The car tumbles upside down several times along the road. This is an important moment of the opening sequence as the action code sets the narrative of the film. The character could of been tired as it is early hours of the morning or he/she could of lost focus which has now caused this disaster.

 In this clip a van pulls up and a man opens the side door. He puts a piano to the side of the van, he leaves it there and they drive off. This happens very quickly which shows they were in a rush. The piano could symbolise something dangerous. The scene is quite dark which makes it mysterious. The audience does not see the characters face, which also makes it mysterious. The clip leaves you questioning what is going to happen next, as this was a very random moment in the beginning sequence. It shows that this instrument could play an important part in the film.

The camera zooms in on this piano which has been left on the side of the road. The focus is left on this instrument and it leaves the audience confused and wondering. There is a hollow sound of wind blowing in the background which creates an eerie type atmosphere. The scene becomes very tense at this point.

The character is shocked and stunned as to what he has just witnessed. His facial expressions demonstrate this. When the car tumbled over, he took a step back. This implies he is taken back by what he has just seen. It could also show his confused state of mind, as he can not believe what has happened. It shows his reaction of seeing a serious accident. He securely holds his flask in his hand with fear.

Analysis of opening sequences of clips

In the lesson, we learnt what the two terms protagonist and antagonist meant. A protagonist is the main character of a cinematic narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve. The audience view this character as the 'hero'. An antagonist is a character or a group of characters, that represent the opposition against the protagonist who he must contend with. We also learnt about the narrative of a film and the narrative patterns. The narrartive is the story of the film, it describes the events that occur within it. There are four types of narrative patterns, these include Linear Patterns, Multi Strand Narrative, Documentary Narrative and Long Running Series.

Roland Barthes distinguished two types of codes, these are Enigma codes and Action codes. Enigma codes control how much we know of the story and effectively holds the audiences attention. It creates a sense of mystery during the narrative. Action codea are events in the story we know to be important in developing the narrative.

Their were two narrative theories we also discussed both created by russians, the first of which was developed by 'Tzvetan Todorov' . He divided his theory into three parts; Equilibrium, Disequilibrium and the New Equilibrium. The second theorist was called Vladimir Propp. This theory is developed into seven parts; the Villain, Donor, Helper, Princess, Dispatcher, Hero and the False Hero.

Children of Men:
Everyone in the film is old this demonstrates that women are no longer having children.
An 18 year old celebrity is killed, this suggests the society is dangerous. The reporter on the news states "the youngest person in the community". This shows that there is no such thing a young generation in this town.
The society seems very negative and closed.

The action code of the film is the bomb going off and the death of the young boy. The bomb could imply a terrorist attack. The enigma code is the telling of the childs death on the news. Everyone in the cafe is crying and glued to the television because of this tragic news. The protagonist of the film is the man that the camera is following. The fact he is unfazed about the news suggests this. The Antagonist could be the person who set off the bomb.

Battle for Haditha:
There are a number of different narrators in the beginning sequence of the film. The card shown is the narrative of the story as it tells the audience what has happened/what is going to happen.
The protagonist could be the three soldiers talking.
The Equilibrium is the army base which is in Iraq. There is a war taking place in a foreign country. The Disequilibrium could be the card which tells us that something is going to happen.

The Dark Night:
Within the first few minutes of the film there is a lot of action. For example, a man collides through a glass window of a building, a number of shootings take place and bombs are given to people.
The antagonists are the men wearing clown type masks. The action codes are the shootings of the men killing eachother. The Equilibrium could be the men in the car holding guns.
Everyone who works in the place that the men have come to look very scared because of the weapons the men are holding. A man who works there tries to shoot the main suspect but it does not ending up being a success as he ends up being shot himself. The man ends up getting away and drives off in a school bus.

Submarine Study Notes

In the film the main character Oliver spoke directly to the audience through voiceover. It was used to create the effect of storytelling by a character narrator. It enabled us to emphasize with the character as we could get a clear understanding of his actions and emotions. The voiceover allowed the viewers to experience the events as if we were involved in them. They also helped to engage the audience more. The fact he talks to the audience directly brings a sense of quirkiness and adds humour to it.

I think that there is a gap between what Oliver says about himself and the reality that we see on the screen. The fact he feels sorry for himself comes across as quite funny and humourous, however at the same time it is quite sad and dull. Oliver thinks that he can solve everyones problems and organise people's lives. This makes him quite likeable and makes the audience sympathise with the situations he finds himself in. For example, he thinks that his Mum is having an affair with "Graham" and he tries to save his parents marriage in a number of ways. In reality to this, some people can not even sort out their own problems and situations out let alone helping others out with theirs.

I think the film is quite literary because it does feel like an adaptation of a book or diary as it is very personal. The fact that it is narrated by the main character also makes the film more literary. The settings helped us relate to the film as they were of natural places. It made the film seem more realistic than if it was to have magnificient sights.